Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM-Chapter 208 - 276+277 -The Thing That Should Not Exist

'Then why…?'

Why had the world collapsed?

If Hawk's death hadn't been the true cause… then what had driven this world to ruin?

And now that he had come back to life—

Could the world somehow be restored?

The Emperor shook his head slowly.

'In fact… it's more reassuring to think that's not really Hawk.'

His eyes narrowed, gaze drifting toward the man who'd come with Kyle and his group—Administrator Ike.

It had to be his doing.

All this time, that man had pretended to be foolish, weak, irrelevant—

But in truth, wasn't he the one most like a god?

A disgusting trick, to bring back the dead.

A ploy to dull his sword and make him hesitate.

The Emperor could not forgive it.

"You wretch! You dare impersonate Hawk?!"

His furious voice—sharp and commanding—finally reached the unmoving figure before him.

Hawk, with his head hung low… slowly lifted it.

He looked straight at the Emperor.

And said—

—Fa…ther?

Father?!

"You dare! You filthy puppet—how dare you use my son's voice to insult his memory!"

But before that fury could be released, the beam of light fired.

A blast meant to erase existence.

The Emperor never even had the chance to respond.

The searing light struck at point-blank range—

And in a flash of pure brilliance, he vanished.

"...!"

One blow. That was all it took.

Jhin, who had witnessed it from the front, clenched his jaw, lips trembling.

Even if Hawk had fused with the Kill Switch,

to erase someone like the Emperor—in a single attack?

'This… is beyond absurd.'

Whatever semblance of balance this world once had, it had just been shattered completely.

But then again, what balance could possibly exist in a system housing the Kill Switch?

This wasn't a real game anymore.

And now, Hawk's gaze shifted—

—unfortunately, to Jhin.

—You…

A distorted, rumbling cry followed.

Behind it came a flood of despair. Rage. Grief.

Emotions too large and chaotic to be named, all crammed into a single glance.

'He remembers.'

—Kyle!

Jhin braced himself and hurled his body aside at full speed.

A flash of death tore through the spot he'd just left.

The Kill Switch had activated—partially, at least.

The beam struck the floor. The walls. The very air itself—

And all of it disintegrated.

Obliterated.

Jhin barely dodged it.

Tssst!

Until another sudden flash of light—different—shot out from nowhere and pierced his body.

At the same time—

Michael had been charging toward the Kill Switch.

No doubt, that was what had happened.

He'd moved the moment it appeared.

Then the flash came.

'What… what was that?'

He didn't even have time to form full thoughts.

Instinct halted his steps—

And a beam of light swept just past him.

'...Irresistible.'

That's what it was.

Not a weapon.

Not a power.

An inevitability.

The sensation of facing something utterly beyond human ability.

Michael felt that irresistibility press down on him.

'They're all gone…'

The people who'd been within the beam's radius were simply… not there.

Only their lower halves remained, upright and motionless for just a moment before toppling over.

It was grotesque.

Impossible.

And real.

'Is this… really happening?'

The Kill Switch was said to be a command—a trigger to erase a world.

A "tool" that must never fall into the hands of Vaccines or fanatics.

But this…

'This isn't a tool. This is… alive.'

No—more than alive.

A monster.

A godlike being draped in invincibility.

Michael swallowed dryly.

The battlefield had gone silent.

He knew it wasn't just his imagination.

The fanatics who'd charged forward, the players, even Jhin and the Emperor—

None of them were moving. No one dared.

Because everyone, in the same instant, thought the same thing:

'If I move, I die.'

That was the kind of pressure the Kill Switch exuded.

'What now…?'

He tried to think—but his mind blanked out.

And then, right in front of him, the Kill Switch fired again.

This time—

At the Emperor.

Even though it made no sense—

Even though it was impossible—

The Emperor was erased.

Completely.

Then the next target…

was Jhin.

"Jhin—!"

He screamed. But it was already too late.

Another beam. Another blinding moment.

Time itself seemed to stop.

Everything moved in slow motion, and Michael could only watch.

Jhin—caught by the beam—began to fade.

And finally—

Tsssst.

No sound. No resistance.

Jhin was gone.

'That's it.'

The thought appeared in his mind, unbidden.

It's over.

Against a divine being, what could a mere human hope to do?

Jhin.

The Emperor.

Erased without so much as a scream.

—UAAAAAAGH!

The Kill Switch let out a guttural roar.

That noise—inhuman, echoing with the weight of oblivion—snapped him back to his senses.

Michael slowly looked around.

He wasn't alone.

Dozens, hundreds—others were standing just like him, unmoving, unsure, stunned.

No one knew what to do.

Michael bit his lip so hard it bled.

'…We have to run.'

But could they?

The Kill Switch was meant to erase worlds.

Paradise wasn't outside its reach.

Running might not save them.

Still—

'There has to be a way… there has to be…'

He racked his brain, but no answer came.

Maybe—

Maybe it'd be easier just to take his own life.

At least that way, he'd be in control of the ending.

But—

Every time that thought crossed his mind…

He saw Jhin's eyes.

That unwavering, unyielding stare.

'Jhin… If it were you…'

But the dead can't speak.

Michael clenched his jaw and slowly began to step back.

His breath was shallow.

Every exhale carried the weight of despair.

For a moment, Jhin closed his eyes and opened them again.

'Where… am I?'

He had been sure he was about to be erased—obliterated by that single beam of light.

And yet, here he stood. Unharmed. Breath still steady in his lungs.

The place he now found himself in… felt familiar.

'…The Backdoor.'

As he turned toward a subtle presence, he found Ike standing there, wearing a bitter, strained smile.

Had Ike pulled him into the Backdoor in that critical, near-death moment—just before the Kill Switch consumed him?

Jhin didn't bother with formalities.

"...You owe me an explanation. What just happened out there?"

Beyond the veil of the Backdoor, he could still see Hawk roaring with mindless fury, tearing through the air.

Ike stared at the scene and responded flatly.

"What else can I say? A variable entered the mix."

"A variable?"

"Yeah. I doubt that thing is really Hawk. And I doubt it's even just the Kill Switch. Honestly… it's something else entirely."

Ike sighed, the weariness thick in his voice.

"Let's call it what it is. A bug."

Bug.

A system defect. A glitch. Something born from contradiction and unintended interaction.

In Exodia, bugs had always been the result of irregularities—like when a dungeon boss died during transformation.

Even now, lingering NPCs, monsters, and players from a shut-down world were technically bugs.

'Makes sense to call it that.'

After all, no one—admin, player, or system—had wanted Hawk to come back.

It was an anomaly no one could have predicted.

Just then, a cold voice stabbed through the stillness.

"Administrator Ike."

Jhin turned.

There stood a man with eyes full of disdain.

"Foolish Emperor."

Of course.

Melvin, presumed dead at Hawk's hands, had apparently also been pulled into the Backdoor by Ike.

The Emperor frowned deeply.

"So this is all… your doing, is it?"

"What exactly do you mean?"

"You dare desecrate my son's soul for this vile theater? This crime—blood alone cannot atone for it!"

He drew his sword and pointed it at Ike with lethal resolve.

The killing intent was so thick that Jhin stepped forward instinctively, drawing the tension taut in the confined Backdoor.

The air warped.

Yet Ike remained still, unimpressed.

He clicked his tongue and spoke.

"How theatrical. Foolish Emperor."

"What?"

"What now—you play the doting father?"

His tone sharpened.

"You want to blame Kyle for Hawk's death? Call his power cursed? How ridiculous."

"..."

"It was you who ordered Hawk to kill Kyle with that pitiful strength. Your arrogance, Emperor, is what doomed this world."

The Emperor's blade trembled.

Even a master's sword, as steady as glass, was not immune to truth.

"You paraded as the great protector of your people, leading them to 'Eden'—but did you really believe your sins would be cleansed by doing so?"

The Emperor tried to speak—but fell silent. His sword lowered.

He could not deny it.

Ike took a breath and softened his tone.

"But fine. The past is done. It's not what matters now."

His gaze drifted over the Backdoor's shifting walls. Small fractures were beginning to appear.

Outside, the creature that had once been Hawk radiated unstoppable power.

"Time's running out. Whatever that thing is… it's dangerous."

In Ike's eyes was the reflection of utter despair—fanatics frozen in fear, players paralyzed and holding their breath.

Everyone was still. As if even breathing too loud might attract the Kill Switch's attention.

Ike clenched his fist.

"This world is going to be erased. The Vaccines won't be spared either."

Jhin asked cautiously:

"How can you be sure? If that really is Hawk… isn't there still a chance we can talk to him?"

Hawk had been a key figure in the world. Melvin's son.

If there was even a sliver of hope, they couldn't abandon it.

But Ike shook his head.

"He's something that should never have existed. And now he's holding the Kill Switch. You seriously believe reason still applies?"

"..." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"And besides… the Kill Switch was created for one purpose. To erase. If he misuses it—if he activates the wrong command…"

He didn't finish the thought.

Because everyone knew what it meant.

The Kill Switch was not meant for nuanced control. It was pure, absolute annihilation.

The Emperor frowned.

"So what you're saying is—you didn't make that creature?"

"Why the hell would I create something that unstable? If I wanted that, I wouldn't have gone to the trouble of stealing the Kill Switch in the first place."

Ike paused. Collected himself.

"Bottom line is this: we need to deal with that thing. Now. We can't let it realize how to actually use the Kill Switch."

Jhin looked between Ike, the Emperor, and the monster outside that used to be Hawk.

There was too much information.

Not enough time.

No room for hesitation.

'Forget the rest. First—we deal with that thing. That's the start.'

No tangled knot unravels all at once.

You start with one thread.

And then another.

As he studied Hawk, something caught Jhin's eye.

A thread began to loosen.

'So that's how he came back…'

He focused. Saw it clearly now.

And if he was right about that method of resurrection…

"There's still a way."

He said it with calm confidence.

Returning from the Backdoor took as little time as entering.

And when he opened his eyes again—

He was back in the dungeon, where killing intent thickened the air.

Hawk, now moving toward the players, turned abruptly.

His gaze locked onto Jhin.

Jhin exhaled slowly.

'The only reason he's dangerous is because he holds the Kill Switch.'

So the solution was simple.

'I just need to take it away.'

He recalled Ike's words—how he defined Hawk.

And what the Kill Switch truly was.

'The Kill Switch is part of the system. Not a bug in itself.'

Which meant…

Hawk was the real bug.

An NPC who should never have come back.

'If I restrain him—and the Emperor erases his soul…'

That was the plan.

After all, the Vaccines were designed to erase bugs.

And the Emperor had formed an alliance with them.

He had access to powers no NPC had ever held before.

Enough, perhaps, to eliminate Hawk.

"Just buy me some time. I'll need focus to cut him down."

Thankfully, the Emperor agreed without resistance.

In the end, he chose the world over his son.

Because even he could see—Hawk was no longer someone they could control.

Then he turned to Jhin with a meaningful glance and said—

(continues in next chapter…)